You take a lot of pride in your soapstone fireplace. A beautiful and warm fireplace made from soapstone adds both warmth and style. Plus, it’s ability to retain and radiate heat makes soapstone the best choice over other natural stone or wood. Not only is it great in heating up your home and keeping heating bills down but it also looks so fantastic that it is an immediate focal point of the room. You’ll want to keep it looking beautiful all year long with proper care and maintenance and not just the winter months.

You will be very pleased to know that soapstone fireplaces and soapstone masonry heaters tend to require very little maintenance. This is yet one more reason why they are so popular in new homes. However, it is important that you purchase specialized mineral oil which is applied during the cleaning process. This mineral oil, which can be found in your local home improvement stores, helps to eliminate any dust and debris found on the external layer of the stone, but it is beneficial in many other ways as well.

Now that you have all of the proper tools and cleaning supplies, take that mineral oil and rub a thin layer of it on your soapstone masonry heater or fireplace. When maintaining the proper care for your soapstone fireplace, it is very important that you never use harsh chemicals to clean the stone. Not only do you run the risk of unrepairable damage, depending on the chemical but they can also result in uneven tones throughout the external surface of the fireplace.

The oil allows the soapstone will help bring out some of the stone’s more brilliant colors and finish as well as give the soapstone a darkening effect. Soapstone generally changes colors over time. This holds true for soapstone fireplaces, sinks and counters. The more the stone is aged, the darker it becomes. Rubbing a thin layer of the mineral oil to the surface layer of the fireplaces changes it into beautiful shades of dark blue, dark gray, dark green, and so forth. The best part is the soapstone fireplace will always remain beautiful for years to come.

Strong or harsh cleaning chemicals used on the surface can actually break down the thermal makeup of the soapstone fireplace. Also try not to use any rough materials to wipe down the surface of the stone. Items such as soft cloths and linens are only to be used when maintaining the proper care for your soapstone fireplaces. As you can see, it is really simple to care for soapstone - especially when it is a fireplace!